Keto at Panda Express: A Guide to Low Carb Panda Express Orders

You can eat keto at Panda Express but you have to know exactly what you can and can’t order.

The big thing to note is that much of their food appears to be keto-friendly on the surface. However, added sugars and starches quickly ruin entrees that would otherwise be very low carb.

What this essentially means is that at Panda Express portions are a huge factor. Even though there are various Panda Express low carb food options available, those carbs add up really quickly.

The nice thing, though, is that since Panda Express is such a large restaurant chain, it is required to publish its nutrition facts. That makes it extremely easy to calculate exactly how many Panda Express carbs you’re eating. That’s much safer than trying to guess your neighborhood Chinese joint’s nutritional information!

How to Order Keto at Panda Express

Okay, let’s dig into your low carb options at Panda Express!

Sides

The sad truth is that all of the sides at Panda Express are out of bounds. Like really out of bounds. As such, we recommend not ordering sides and sticking to entrees instead.

But, if you absolutely must have a side, the Mixed Vegetables are your best bet. A side portion comes in at 11g net carbs. With all the carbs in the rest of the food, this will very likely push you to the upper limits of your carb intake for the day.

You can also lessen the impact by getting a half portion of veggies (same as a side/medium A La Carte portion), which will bring you down to about 5g net carbs.

Every other side’s carb count is stratospheric in comparison– around 80g net carbs per serving!

Panda Express Keto Friendly Entrees List

• String Bean Chicken Breast – 9g net carbs
• Mushroom Chicken – 10g net carbs
• Grilled Teriyaki Chicken (no sauce) – 8g net carbs
• Broccoli Beef – 11g net carbs
• Mixed Veggies as Entree – 5g net carbs

Note: The entrees above come out to around 200 or so calories per portion. What does this mean? That’s not a whole lot of calories to keep you full, so we don’t think it’s realistic to order half portions of the above entrees.

How to Order

We recommend ordering Small size A La Carte Entrees in to-go boxes. 

For example, order one small a-la-carte entree and one medium entree of mixed veggies (note: sides only come in medium and large a la carte boxes).

You can also order bowls or plates with Steamed Veggies. We normally ask for a half portion of Steamed Veggies to limit our carb intake.

Sauces

Most of the sauces at Panda Express are low carb but note that some do include added sugar! When in doubt, practice moderation!

Soy Sauce – 0g net carbs

Hot Mustard – 0g net carbs

Chili Sauce – 2g net carbs

Plum Sauce – 3g net carbs

Drinks

• Diet Pepsi
• Lipton No Calorie Brisk Peach
• Sobe Lean (Lifewater)
• China Mist Iced Tea

A Final Word

As you can see, there aren’t a ton of options for eating keto at Panda Express. While you can get away with eating steamed veggies, most of the entrees are loaded with sugar and starch.

But that doesn’t mean that you can’t eat low carb Panda Express meals. You just have to be keenly aware of the nutrition facts.

While the Panda Express portions to carbs ratios are not very ideal, there are certainly a few options that will get you through those Chinese fast food cravings!

Note: The Panda Express nutrition calculator allows you to browse the Panda Express menu and easily calculate the macros of your entire meal.

** Almost to your 20g net carb total for the day after eating Panda Express? Not to worry!

We have a great list of NO Carb Snacks that will keep you satiated for the rest of the day! **

Still looking for more keto fast food options?

Check out some of our other fast food keto guides!

• Chick-Fil-A
• Chipotle
• McDonald’s
• Taco Bell
• Jimmy John’s
• Starbucks
• … and more!

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